What If the Grand Trend Couldn't Be Changed, but the Minor Details Could? Then Let's Wait for a Deus Ex Machina!

The chat group had gone quiet. After dealing with Liu Yanchang, Yang Jian had gone silent, and Ying Zheng, Li Shimin—who had been silent from the start—and Liu Che showed no sign of speaking up.

As for Old Zhu, he had just angrily chewed out Ying Zheng for a while. When he realized Ying Zheng wasn't responding at all, he lost interest and went quiet too.

With no other choice, Liu Bing took on the role of host. After all, Yang Jian had personally invited the newcomer.

[Hong Huang Little Shrimp]: This is a chat group that connects all the heavens. We're all from different worlds or different points in time.

[Yang Chan]: Connects all the heavens? Are you saying there are worlds beyond the Three Worlds?

[Hong Huang Little Shrimp]: Yeah, more or less.

[Yang Chan]: So, is there anything fun in your world?

[Hong Huang Little Shrimp]: Uh, I can give you a toy. It comes with instructions, so you can play with it yourself.

Liu Bing sent over a PS5. It was an infinite-power version, a piece of gear Liu Bing had gotten from Nezha back in the Primordial World.

[Yang Chan]: Wow, this thing is really interesting. Thank you, Little Shrimp.

[Yang Chan]: By the way, why are you called Little Shrimp? Are you a shrimp soldier? Or a shrimp demon?

[Hong Huang Little Shrimp]: I'm not a shrimp demon or anything. I'm human.

[Yang Chan]: Then why are you called Little Shrimp?

[Hong Huang Little Shrimp]: Uh, in the eyes of certain people, I'm just a little shrimp, so I chose that name.

Liu Bing hadn't meant to hide anything. He might be fairly strong across the heavens, but in the Primordial World, he really was just a little shrimp.

[Yang Chan]: Oh, I see.

[Erlang of Great Tang]: What are you talking about, shrimp demons and shrimp soldiers? Are you referring to the shrimp soldiers and crab generals described in those tales of gods, ghosts, and monsters?

After lurking for a long time, Li Shimin finally couldn't hold back and asked.

He had kept quiet and observed the conversation in the chat group. That Little Shrimp had mentioned that the chat group connected all the heavens and different points in time, and had even brought up the Three Worlds. All of it seemed utterly unbelievable to Li Shimin.

When he heard Yang Chan mention shrimp soldiers and shrimp demons, the shrimp soldiers and crab generals from the sea in the books of strange tales he had once read immediately came to mind.

But weren't shrimp soldiers and crab generals just fantastical sea creatures invented for books? Why were these people talking about them so seriously?

Were they really just pretending to be mysterious, as Old Zhu had said earlier, or had they actually seen these creatures?

There was another thing: this chat group was so mysterious. It seemed only he could see it; even Guanyin Bi, who was beside him, couldn't. That was another reason he couldn't help wondering.

[Yang Chan]: Tales of gods, ghosts, and monsters? Are those folk legends from your world?

[Hong Huang Little Shrimp]: Forget it. I don't have time to explain everything to each of you. I'll post an announcement. You can read it yourselves.

Liu Bing didn't have time to dispel everyone's doubts one by one. Besides, many of these ancients had fixed ways of thinking, and it would be hard to convince them. Rather than talk things through bit by bit, he might as well post an announcement in the form of a memory. It would be more persuasive.

[ Ding, Hong Huang Little Shrimp uploaded a group announcement. Group members may read it at their leisure.]

The others in the group opened the announcement and began reading. That gave them a better understanding of what the myriad worlds of the heavens and different points in time meant. Liu Bing had used the four emperors in the group as examples, listed their timelines in order, and clearly marked the number of years between them.

[First Emperor of Great Qin]: So Great Qin truly didn't last for thousands of generations?

[Old Zhu of Great Ming]: Hah, you tyrant thought you could rule for thousands of generations? Your tyrannical Qin fell after just two generations.

Zhu Yuanzhang was a staunch critic of the Qin emperors. In his eyes, Qin Shi Huang, Ying Zheng, was a tyrant through and through, not even worthy of being called an emperor. Ying Zheng's dismissive "heh" and "ignorant" earlier had infuriated him, and now he had a chance to mock him and rub salt in the wound. He was more than happy to take it.

After reading the group announcement Liu Bing had posted, a memory implanted directly into his mind, Zhu Yuanzhang realized that the chat group probably really did connect all the heavens, just as Liu Bing had said.

So he also believed that the First Emperor of Great Qin was Ying Zheng of the Qin dynasty, and naturally went straight on the attack.

Ying Zheng frowned slightly when he saw Old Zhu's message, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, but he felt no anger. He knew very well that anger would cloud his thoughts and affect his judgment.

He had abandoned anger long ago, though he still felt displeased. More than that, he wanted to know what had happened to make Great Qin fall after just two generations.

[First Emperor of Great Qin]: Your Majesty, please tell me why Great Qin fell after just two generations. I will reward you handsomely.

[Old Zhu of Great Ming]: Hah, the tyrannical Qin deserved to fall after two generations and make way for Emperor Gaozu of Han.

Seeing how strongly Old Zhu of Great Ming disliked him, Ying Zheng couldn't be bothered to ask him. Instead, he turned to Hong Huang Little Shrimp.

[First Emperor of Great Qin]: @Hong Huang Little Shrimp, sir, do you know why Great Qin fell after two generations? Please tell me. Zheng will reward you handsomely.

[Hong Huang Little Shrimp]: I'll send you a copy of Qin History. You can read it yourself.

Liu Bing casually sent Qin Shi Huang a copy of Qin History, then checked his points.

The points in the chat group had been reworked by Nuwa and now came from two sources: one depended on how active the group was, while the other came from changing the fates already set for group members.

Changing a set fate was, in practice, equivalent to drawing on the source power of the member's world. But since doing so could have negative consequences, Nuwa had made some adjustments.

Now, when a group member's world deviated from its set fate, Liu Bing would receive more points if the world developed in a positive direction. But if things went badly, Liu Bing would have to intervene to keep the whole world from falling into an even worse state.

When Liu Bing saw that his points had increased slightly after he sent Qin History to Qin Shi Huang, he understood a little more.

The increase was negligible, but it was enough to prove that he could earn points by spoiling the future for others. At the same time, he realized that the points were nowhere near as generous as he had expected.

In other words, even if the group members learned what lay ahead, they might not truly be able to change it. At most, they could make small adjustments to the future; the major events that were destined to happen would remain unchanged.

So the grand trend couldn't be changed, but the minor details could? Heh. In that case, he'd just wait for a deus ex machina. After all, Liu Bing had a whole lot of big shots backing him. He had nothing to fear.

While Liu Bing pondered, the other three emperors couldn't sit still. Who wouldn't want to see the history of their own dynasty? If they could learn about major events ahead of time, they could prevent a great many things from happening.

They were all tempted.

[Erlang of Great Tang]: Sir, could you send me a copy of Tang History?